At the very front of the Star Sand Lake ruins, as everyone's gaze swept forward, a tall gatehouse gradually emerged from the swirling sandstorm.
Above it were inscribed the three characters: Star Sand Gate.
A hundred years ago, before Star Sand City was even established, this was the mountain gate of the Star Sand Sect.
The sect master of the Star Sand Sect, the owner of this ruin, was a renowned martial arts grandmaster of his time.
During the Star Sand Sect's peak, various forces within a thousand-mile radius submitted to them, and countless prodigies flocked from all directions, merely to join this martial arts sanctuary.
Even the Governor's Mansion of Tianchu Province could not overshadow the Star Sand Sect.
There were even rumors that the Star Sand Sect Master was not far from taking a crucial step, becoming a martial arts king of the Giant Spirit Realm.
Alas, for reasons unknown, the Star Sand Sect was destroyed overnight!
Not a single strong practitioner or genius within the sect survived.
Even the Star Sand Sect Master, a peak Heavenly Origin Realm expert, vanished completely, leaving behind only this Star Sand Lake ruin.
Regarding the cause of the Star Sand Sect's destruction, there have been countless speculations over the past century, but no definitive conclusion has ever been reached.
As time passed, the truth became even more elusive, hidden within the river of time.
The group of experts looked at the mottled and ancient gatehouse, unable to suppress their emotions.
Soon, an invisible force dissipated, and the Star Sand Lake ruins, which had seemed to exist in another dimension, were fully revealed before everyone's eyes.
"Enter!"
With a roar, the experts from various factions surged towards the gatehouse.
"Master, let's go in too! Otherwise, we won't even get a taste of the hot soup."
Seeing all the factions pouring into the ruins, Liang Hutu also grew impatient.
Ling Fan walked unhurriedly towards the ruins and said, "No rush. This ruin is not that simple."
Since Ling Fan had spoken, Liang Hutu, no matter how eager, could only bear with it.
Soon, the figures of the four also disappeared through the gatehouse.
The moment they passed through the gatehouse, a ripple like water waves spread out, and the gatehouse vanished from its original spot.
...
The four felt a flash before their eyes, and they had already left Star Sand City, entering another space.
Their feet trod on soft, dry sand. Looking around, endless yellow sand stretched as far as the eye could see, vast and desolate.
Liu Xiran couldn't help but widen her eyes and said, "Brother Ling Fan, why is it different from the Star Sand Lake we saw from outside? It's so vast in here!"
Ling Fan smiled faintly and said, "This is because we have entered a domain space."
Liu Xiran seemed to understand but not quite, while Liang Hutu was utterly astonished.
"M-Master, you're saying this is the domain space of a martial arts king?"
He gasped in shock.
In the lower realm, a martial arts king was almost a symbol of invincibility. They could establish dynasties, found sects, and create martial arts legacies that spanned thousands of years. Such experts could shatter mountains with a palm strike and sever rivers with a single saber; these were mere trifles.
A characteristic of Giant Spirit Realm martial kings was their possession of a spiritual domain.
Within this domain, a Giant Spirit Realm king was virtually invincible.
"Master, could it be that the Star Sand Sect Master didn't perish at the peak of the Heavenly Origin Realm, but had already broken through to the Giant Spirit Realm!"
Liang Hutu was stunned.
Ling Fan shook his head and said, "It's not a true domain, or rather, this domain is incomplete. It indicates that the Star Sand Sect Master had not truly broken through to the Giant Spirit Realm before his death; he could only be considered a quasi-Giant Spirit Realm expert."
The shock in Liang Hutu's eyes slightly receded, but he was still filled with emotion. That was a quasi-king!
It was a pity that even such a powerful martial artist was not omnipotent; his sect was destroyed overnight, and he himself perished.
One could only say that fate was unpredictable.
"Master, look at these footprints."
Liang Hutu suddenly lowered his head, pointing to the dense footprints on the sand, which extended forward. "Master, the people who entered earlier must have ventured deep into this space. Should we hurry and follow them?"
Ling Fan did not move. Instead, his gaze constantly swept up, down, left, and right across the space, with occasional flashes of brilliance in his eyes.
Liu Xiran, Liang Hutu, and Ji Hong only saw Ling Fan acting as if possessed, suddenly taking three steps forward, then stopping for a moment, before suddenly taking four steps backward and to the left, squatting down to study something.
All three were bewildered by Ling Fan's actions.
What in the world was he doing?
Ling Fan moved left, then right, then veered southeast; in short, his trajectory was completely unpredictable.
"Uncle Liang, what is Brother Ling Fan doing?"
Liu Xiran asked Liang Hutu curiously.
Liang Hutu was completely clueless and said with a wry smile, "Master's actions are unfathomable; how could I possibly guess his intentions? I also have no idea what Master is up to."
"I hope Master finishes soon, otherwise all the treasures in this ruin will be plundered by those people!"
Liang Hutu was genuinely worried for Ling Fan. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
After a long while, Ling Fan finally walked back.
"Let's go."
Ling Fan said faintly to the three, then unhurriedly began to walk forward along the footprints.
After walking for a short while, Ji Hong suddenly seemed to sense something. His body tensed slightly, and on his bare skin, muscles bulged like steel cables, with faint traces of blood-red qi and blood light appearing.
At that moment, faint sounds of battle could be heard from ahead, and judging by the scale, it was no small skirmish involving just a few people.
"This..."
Liang Hutu's expression changed slightly.
"Could it be that those people found some treasure, couldn't agree on how to divide it, and started fighting amongst themselves?"
"Or perhaps there are dangerous demonic beasts within this ruin that have targeted them?"
Liang Hutu said gravely.
"We'll know once we get closer."
Ling Fan's expression remained calm as he continued to walk forward.
Soon, after ascending a sand dune, the scene unfolded before the four of them.
It was the experts from Star Sand City who had entered earlier, along with the geniuses and experts from the Seven Stars Cave, Misty Cloud Mountain, and the Governor's Mansion.
A total of thirty-two people.
All of them were here.
However, six or seven of them had already become corpses lying on the ground. They had died horribly, with almost no complete bodies among them; they were torn apart everywhere, as if they had been gnawed by countless demonic beasts.
And surrounding these experts and geniuses were nearly a hundred grotesque, fierce, and monstrous creatures, encircling them.
These monsters were several meters tall, their bodies entirely composed of sand, and each one possessed an aura no weaker than that of the early Profound Gang Realm!
There were even over ten sand beasts, seven or eight meters tall, whose auras approached the late Profound Gang Realm.
Surrounded by so many terrifying sand beasts, it was no wonder that even with their luxurious lineup, this group was blocked here, unable to advance an inch.